Providing online access to oral histories: a case study

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to provide a practical example of a process repositories may follow in making oral history interviews available online.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper examines the decisions that must be made in the course of making analog audio available online. Legal, ethical and technical decisions are examined and evaluated in the context of one repository's experience. Issues such as copyright, privacy and defamation are examined, as are technical issues around analog audio capture and access. Different options for presenting the oral histories to the public are evaluated in light of ease of production and access.

Findings

The paper finds it is possible to provide easy‐to‐use online access to oral histories even in the absence of a large budget and programming staff to create cutting‐edge tools.

Practical implications

Many more repositories could be making their oral histories available online. There are many decisions to be made along the way, but individual repositories should not be afraid to make these decisions in their own context. While much of the literature available heretofore has focused on offerings of highly resourced repositories that are able to create “one‐off” databases, off‐the‐shelf applications such as CONTENTdm do a fine job of providing access to these materials.

Originality/value

The paper speaks to repositories looking for a practical model they can follow for making interviews available online. Rather than presenting a new technical approach, it demonstrates how existing and widespread technologies can be used for this purpose. It is aimed particularly at institutions with relatively fewer technological resources.

Citation

Daniels, C. (2009), "Providing online access to oral histories: a case study", OCLC Systems & Services: International digital library perspectives, Vol. 25 No. 3, pp. 175-185. https://doi.org/10.1108/10650750910982566